St. Louis Blues Release 2011-12 Regular Season Schedule
The St. Louis Blues and the NHL released the 2011-12 regular season schedule today and from the looks of it, the Blues are in for an interesting season.
Follow the link to the full schedule http://blues.nhl.com/club/schedule.htm
At this early stage we will take a look at 10 key points in the year as well as a month by month overview of whats to come.
October 8th: Home and Season Opener vs. Nashville- The Blues open the season against one of the only Central teams they fared well against. The Blues were an impressie 4-1-1 against Nashville last year, going 2-0-1 at home and 2-1-0 in Nashville. David Backes led the team with 3 goals and 2 assists and Jaroslav Halak was in net for all 6 games.
November 8th: 1st game vs Chicago- After spending much of October in the road the Blues open a long homestand with a matchup against division rival Chicago. The Blues were 2-2-2 against the Hawks last season but could have easily gone 4-2-0 if a couple of bounces would have gone their way. The penalty kill against Chicago was uncharacteristically poor allowing 6 goals in 18 attempts.
November 15th: First game vs Detroit- The Blues first game against Detroit will be the first time they have faced each other since the 10-3 dismantaling the Blues inflicted on the Wings at the end of March in Detroit. Unfortunately this was the first win for the Blues in Detroit in the last game of their series and the Blues went a pathetic 2-3-1. Halak was in net for all 6 games and gave up 26 goals for a 4.35 goals against in his first foray into the rivalry.
November 23rd: Blues visit Pittsburgh to face Crosby, Malkin- One of the most fun times as a fan is when the Blues face off against the Eastern Conferences best teams and this should be no exception. The Blues caught the Penguins before they lost Malkin and Crosby and still were able to come away with a victory. The Blues defeated the Pens 1-0 in OT on a goal by the now departed Erik Johnson and that win helped propel them into a seven game win streak at the beginning of the season last year.
November 29th: Blues visit Ovechkin and the Caps- The Blues haven’t fared as well against the Capitals in the last few years and last year was no different. The Blues were 0-2-0 and were out-scored 7-3 in the series but did hold Alex the Great without a goal. Alex Steen scored 2 of the Blues 3 goals, adding to his breakout season.
December 6th, 27th, and 31st: 3 Games Against Detroit- The Blues will face their bitter rivals three times in December and all could be very important games. The first is the second home game against Detroit and St. Louis hopes to improve on their 1-1-1 home record against the Wings from last year. The 27th and 31st are in Detroit and in between the Blues travel to Nashville for a game against the Predators. The closing of 2011 shall be an interesting time for the Blues.
January 10th: Halak returns to the scene of the crime- In Jaroslav Halak’s first game against his former team he was outstanding, backstipping the Blues to a 4-1 victory at home. Matt D’Agostini also got some pay back against his former team as well, netting the dagger goal out of mid-air. This year the Blues, Halak, and D’Agostini visit Montreal for the first time since the trade and the fan reaction should be interesting.
January 24th: Blues welcome Pittsburgh- Another fun meeting with the Pens helps the Blues end the month of January. A good test for the young team as it battles a hardened Pens team that should be fighting for the top spot again in the East with their healthy superstars.
February 16th: Islanders Visit on My Birthday- This game could turn out to be one of the best of the season even if it wasn’t my birthday. The Islanders posses a talented young team similar to the Blues and at this point in the season playoff position will start to be on the line. The Blues were embarressed on Long Island last year, being drummed 5-2. The Blues will look to return the favor, this time in St. Louis.
February 22nd: Stanley Cup Champs Boston Visit St. Louis- In what a lot of St. Louis fans would like to see as a Stanley Cup Finals, the Bruins come to St. Louis. St. Louis has enjoyed playing Boston over the last fews years; the miracle comeback and last seasons thrilling shootout win in Boston. This is a matchup of two hard working teams and cities and fans of both teams will flock to this game.
As the season approaches we will unveil our top ten games to watch as well as the top ten matchups we can’t wait to see. We move on to the month by month breakdown of the schedule.
October: The first month of the season will be a galvanizing time for this young team as they will only have 3 home games. The Blues will face Nashville and Calgary to open the year before heading out on a 4 game West Coast Road Trip. The Blues return home to face Carolina before heading out to Philly followed by a Western Canada swing.
November: The month opens with a visit from the other team from the Finals; Vancouver. After a visit to Minnesota, the Blues open a 5 game homestand where they will face three of the Original Six in Chicago, Detroit and Toronto. The Blues alternate home and away games before ending the month by leaving on a three game road trip.
December: Another 5 game homestand is in store for the Blues at the start of the month and includes dates against the Hawks, Wings and Rangers. The month and year end with a three game Detroit-Nashville-Detroit trip.
January: The Blues leave St. Louis twice this month, but both games are hugely important as well as classic. Visits to Montreal and Detroit are wrapped in between a Pacific homestand and a visit from the Sabres and Pens. This month will be very important for the Blues playoff chances as they won’t get much of a chance to pick up this many points at home.
February: In the shortest month of the year, the Blues will have one of their busiest months. The Blues welcome Ottawa, New Jersey, New York Islanders, and Boston while they have their one and only meeting with the Winnipeg franchise in Winnipeg. At the end of the month, the Blues open a 6 game road trip with a trip to Nashville, followed by a Canada and West Coast trip.
March: This month the Blues will see a healthy dose of the Central Division and will have their only home and home series of the year. The Blue Jackets visit St. Louis on the 10th and the game in Columbus on the 11th opens a season long 7 game road trip. The trip takes the Blues cross country as the team travels to Columbus and Chicago before heading to Carolina and Tampa before wrapping up in Anaheim, LA and Phoenix.
April: The end of the season sees the Blues facing off against teams that have given the team fits the last few years. The Wings and Coyotes visit St. Louis before the season ends in Dallas. In fans eyes this hopefully does not end the season for the Blues but merely is a prelude to the Blues playoff season.
This is the make or break season for this team and if things are not going well by the trade deadline this team could be dismantled. The schedule seems favorable and if they take advantage of the homestands this could be a very scary team.
The NHL Draft commences tomorrow evening, so be on the lookout for our draft coverage on bluemenonice.com. Feel free to add your thoughts on the schedule in the comments section.
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